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Why do cpus need more transistors?
As to why “more [transistors] means faster”, the answer is “not necessarily”, but in general, doubling the width of the data path, say from 32 bits to 64, gives you the ability to manipulate larger numbers in a single instruction at the cost of requiring more transistors.
How do they make so many transistors?
In production, transistors are “printed” on a silicon wafer through a complex process called lithography. And they replaced standard silicon with silicon germanium in the channels on the chips that conduct electricity.
Why do we need more transistors in computers?
As to why “more [transistors] means faster”, the answer is “not necessarily”, but in general, doubling the width of the data path, say from 32 bits to 64, gives you the ability to manipulate larger numbers in a single instruction at the cost of requiring more transistors. Finally, the registers don’t really “manage everything”.
How many transistors are used in an n-bit computer?
To get a feel for the number of transistors used, an adder circuit in a n -bit computer might require about, say, 20 n transistors, an n -bit register might require 50 n transistors, and the traffic control circuitry to sent the results to the right place might require several hundred more for each bit.
Why does integration increase the number of transistors on a chip?
Integration–which increases the number of transistors on a chip but not in the system–reduces communication latency and increases bandwidth, obviously allowing an increase in performance. (There is also a reduction in power consumption which may be translated into increased performance.)
How many transistors do you need for a cache?
Typically one bit of cache memory requires 6 transistors (some designs use more or less, with different tradeoffs; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_random-access_memory ), so modern CPUs with large caches spend a lot of transistors there.